Zongman: Please stop destroying the worldview!

Chapter 45: Weekend Outing: Confrontation with Evil Spirits

Chen Mo brought Jianzi and Taki to the abandoned shrine they had just visited. The reason was not for anything else, but because it was secluded and deserted, and if a fight broke out, it would be less likely to cause casualties.

Although Taki didn't know what exactly happened, seeing Jianzi's fearful look and Chen Mo taking him to an empty shrine, all signs indicated that he was in big trouble.

But the young man was indeed courageous. Although he was afraid, he still stood up straight. In the open space in the center of the shrine, his eyes were full of determination: "Master, will I die? If so, please let me leave a suicide note for my family and friends."

Chen Mo comforted her, "Don't worry, you won't die. Even if you do die, I can resurrect you."

Jianzi: "It's even more terrifying when you put it that way!"

Taki closed his eyes, standing as straight as possible. Chen Mo circled behind him to observe. "Qiube" was the exact opposite of "Ai Bieli" he'd encountered yesterday. "Ai Bieli" made a tremendous movement, encompassing half a city block. The massive barrier and the obvious anomaly made it hard not to notice. This "Qiube" focused solely on one person, pulling them hard, with little reaction to the outside world. Chen Mo watched it for a long moment, but it remained unmoved.

"Is there a red line on his wrist covered by the black mist?"

After careful observation, Chen Mo finally discerned a distinct spiritual power within the overwhelming demonic energy of "Desire." A thin, almost indistinguishable red thread, one end tied to Taki's wrist, the other extending into the distance, its color gradually fading until it vanished. This was the red thread that symbolized the connection between people, unlike the filthy, painful red thread on Aibieli's body; this red thread, though thin, was exceptionally resilient, shimmering with an almost divine glow in the sunlight.

"I've been searching for so long, and here I am, for the first time, seeing the true power of a god."

Chen Mo sighed. Indeed, this young man named Taki was bound with a red thread blessed by a righteous deity, allowing him to withstand the erosion of "the unattainable." The divine power within wasn't dense, but it was exceptionally pure. The unknown deity's favor towards Taki was simply incredible.

Chen Mo whispered to Jianzi, "It seems that Taki's problem can be divided into two parts. One part is the evil spirit that is possessing him, and the other part is the red string that a certain god has tied for him - this is a very incredible love relationship."

Jianzi: "So what should we do now? Should we exorcise the spirit first?"

Chen Mo: "Try to see if your three chances of attack can destroy this 'Desire'. Although they are both descendants of the evil god, they are not necessarily hostile to each other.

By the way, let me see what kind of protection mechanism this is on your body."

Jianzi: "Okay."

With Chen Mo by her side, Jianzi now felt more confident. She pointed at Taki and said loudly:

"Customer, there is an evil spirit behind you!"

Taki was startled. Qiubude's thousand eyes spun around, staring at Jianzi without making any further moves. Just as Jianzi thought her attack had failed, two bells rang, and two small spirits dressed as shrine maidens, with faces resembling those of foxes with bared teeth, leaped out from behind Jianzi and ran towards Qiubude.

Unintelligible words came out of their mouths, and at the same time, thousands of mouths opened at the same time, responding with even more obscure howls.

Jianzi explained to Chen Mo, "Last time, it was those two who eliminated the evil spirit that occupied the entire tunnel with just one strike. But I couldn't understand a word they said. What were they talking about?"

Chen Mo: "Of course, you can only see it, not understand it. Oh no, their goal is not to kill Qiu Bu De, but to snatch the red thread!"

The fox-masked witches launched a combined attack, temporarily repelling Qiu Bude, then reached out to hook the red string on Taki's wrist. Qiu Bude, unwilling to be outdone, shone light from his thousand eyes, enveloping the two witches, immobilizing them. The scene in the mirror behind their heads shifted several times before finally settling on a photo of a female fortuneteller and a dejected-looking boy.

"Oh, oh, ahh ...

That child, that child, must not take the bell—help me help me help me help me help me help—"

The two fox-masked priestesses began to scream in pain. Their fox faces began to crack and peel off, revealing vaguely their human faces.

The originally incomprehensible language of ghosts also turned into the cries of human beings.

A blazing flame ignited, and Chen Mo's greatsword was already approaching. The Thousand Hands, unable to reach the sword, tried to bite it with their mouths, but it was burned to ash before it even got close. The Thousand Eyes' rays turned towards Chen Mo, but of course it was ineffective. The reflection in the mirror behind his head once again revealed a pile of incomprehensible Chinese food.

A roar echoed, and Qiu Bu De was severed in half, leaving less than half of the Thousand Hands and Thousand Eyes remaining. Chen Mo turned to question the two freed witches, but they vanished into the smoke the moment they regained their mobility, without even a lingering glance.

"Why did you run away so quickly? I still have a lot of questions."

Chen Mo complained, and the flames on the sword ignited again. He walked towards Qiu Bude who was struggling and crawling on the ground, still muttering.

"Not enough! Not enough! Not enough!"

Steamed lamb, steamed bear paws, and roasted duck flashed in turn in the mirror behind its head. This powerful evil spirit could not find what its opponent wanted in his heart. In despair, a sword pierced the mirror and the golden body filled with grass and the fake lotus platform shattered into pieces in the flames that destroyed everything, and in the end only a wisp of green smoke was left.

-

"Is it over?!"

"It's not over yet, but it's over. You're safe now."

"call!"

Taki finally gave up, his legs giving way as he sat down on the ground, gasping for air. Although he couldn't see what was happening, he could still sense the impact of the clash of evil spirits. He could even see Chen Mo's flaming sword brush past him. To be able to endure the fear and stand still was a testament to his strong will.

Chen Mo pulled Long up and said, "The first part is over. You were possessed by a very dangerous evil spirit, which I just got rid of.

Now comes the second part, which is to find out where your sense of loss comes from. Think carefully, from my perspective, you are tied to an incredible destiny.

"Oh, there really are evil spirits! Let me think..."

Taki stretched his shoulders and felt a sense of relief he'd never felt before, as if he'd been carrying a heavy burden on his back without realizing it, and only after climbing over mountains and crossing rivers, exhausted, did someone help him take it off. Thinking back on that feeling of loss now, it wasn't a burning longing that kept him awake, but a more profound, subtle sadness.

I seem to be missing someone. Who is that person?

I can't remember her name or what she looked like. All that remains in my memory is the red ribbon connected by light and the bright shooting star in the night sky that day.

But I still want to see her. It is more profound than experience, more solid than memory, more acute than intuition. I am absolutely sure that we will recognize each other the moment we meet.

Although Taki did not recover his memory, he finally understood what kind of emotion he was carrying:

"Master, I want to see that person."

Chen Mo: "Oh, you remembered?"

Taki's eyes became firm. "I don't remember, but I know what I want. I'm looking for someone."

It's that person. I don't remember her name or what she looks like, but I want to see her.

No matter when or where we meet, we will definitely recognize each other."

Chen Mo: "That's great. Let's go and hurry to Itomori Town. The secret must be hidden in the mountain where you stayed back then."

"Are you leaving now?"

"Let's go now. The longer the night, the more trouble we'll have. Let's try to resolve your issue today!"

-

I still have a lot of things to do, so if I’m going on a long trip, I’ll have to make the most of this weekend.

The strange team of Chen Mo, Jianzi, and Taki were about to leave the shrine when they suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from the bushes to the side:

"Guwa! Uh, water, give me water~"

Chapter 46: Weekend Out: Picking Up a Drunkard

Chen Mo went over and parted the grass to see the drunken bass guitarist who had drunkenly given him a bottle of wine earlier. Hiroi Kikuri was half-lying on the ground in a very indecent position, her upper body hugging a stone lion and mumbling nonsense. The smell of alcohol was still there, noticeable from a distance. It wasn't enough for this person to get drunk during the performance; afterward, she'd drunkenly run around and run! Her bass guitar was still stuck in the dirt nearby.

Suddenly understanding Zhima's daily predicament, Chen Mo went over, patted her forehead, and asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Oh, it's you, my good fan, so great, I'm saved!"

Ju Li, who was drunk as a puddle, actually recognized Chen Mo and began to crawl over in a dark way, hugging Chen Mo's thighs:

"My head hurts so much, please buy me some water."

Taki was shocked: "Master, is this your friend?"

"No, it's just the drunken bass who just saw a show."

Chen Mo tried to pull Juli off his body, but she seemed determined to cling to him like a barnacle. He was afraid that if he used too much force, he would hurt her hands and make her unable to play, so Chen Mo had to use his patience to coax her:

"Okay, okay, I'll buy it for you right away. Drink the water and your headache will go away."

Ju Li's head tilted: "Liar."

Chen Mo: "What?"

Kikuri raised her head proudly: "Water alone is not enough, we also need miso soup, warm rice porridge, a soft bed, and new wine..."

Chen Mo: "Why do I feel like the number of Yamada Ryos is gradually increasing recently?"

The weather was getting increasingly gloomy, with thick, dark clouds obscuring the sun. It looked like rain was imminent. If I left Kikuri here, I'd be left with a soaked bassist tomorrow. For Shima's blood pressure, I'd better take care of this guy first.

Chen Mo pulled Ju Li up and said to Jianzi and Taki, "Please help me buy some hangover relief. I really have a connection with them."

-

At Tokyo Station, after buying tickets to Itomori Town, Chen Mo and his group took care of Kikuri while waiting for the train.

After painstakingly forcing Juli down a hangover soup, she sobered up a bit and insisted on going with Chen Mo to Itomori Town, under the pretext of gathering folk music for her next song. Rejected, heartbroken, Juli decided to numb her wounds with alcohol. Seeing her staggering toward a convenience store, Chen Mo stopped her and agreed to take her along. With the way she was drinking, it wouldn't be surprising if she had an accident tomorrow!

Kikuri finally calmed down. After finishing the alcohol she had brought with her, she slumped limply in a chair, still dizzy and drunk. Taki and Miko, standing by, looked perplexed, "Um, is it really okay for her to be like this?"

Chen Mo: "It will be fine as long as we're watching."

Long, who had always been considered a good student, had never seen such a scene before. "She drank so much, it's definitely not okay, Mr. Mage, can't you try to persuade her?"

Chen Mo didn't care: "If she wants to drink, then let her drink. Let's not worry about it. Just make sure she doesn't get into any danger."

“Yes, really?”

While waiting for the bus, everyone was killing time. Kikuri was sleeping, Taki rested his chin on his hand, reminiscing about something, and Miko was snapping photos with her phone—this was a rare opportunity to take non-supernatural photos, so they had to cherish it.

Chen Mo took advantage of this rare free time to look up the latest popular girl bands on his phone. Realizing that he still knew too little about the music trends, he decided to scan the charts to see which songs were popular among girl bands.

"Sumimi's music, 'Here, the world!' Isn't that the idol group that Chuhua is in? This song is also very popular now, playing everywhere."

"Hmm, there's this popular group called Diamond Dust? I've heard of them for the first time. Let me see what songs they have. 'Empty Box'?"

Chen Mo put on his headphones. These second-hand headphones he bought were rather worn out, and the reception was not very good, so only faint music could be heard.

The song was not even halfway through when Chen Mo suddenly looked up and saw a strange girl standing in front of him, looking angry.

Chen Mo: "Did I turn up the volume too loud?"

The girl in front of him had short dark red braids, a thin figure, and was carrying a large box in her hands. She looked exhausted and it was obvious that she had just arrived in Tokyo by bus.

She stared at Chen Mo's phone fiercely and said, "What's the name of the song you're listening to?"

Chen Mo; "Empty Box."

"How do you like it?"

"Okay."

He was also a little curious about this uninvited girl, so he turned up the volume. Unexpectedly, she covered her ears, and faint black and red thorns appeared on her body:

"What version are you listening to? It's totally wrong! I think you don't understand anything at all!"